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Whitecaps’ ‘six-pointer’ a Rapids challenge as MLS West race a crowded place

No time for Vancouver to enjoy view from their ‘lofty’ second-place perch

‘Every game is huge,’ says Vancouver Whitecaps left back Jordan Harvey, here celebrating his goal against Chivas USA during a June 18, 2013 Major League Soccer match at BC Place Stadium. ‘I think it’s huge to just play our game, go at them and play with a lot of confidence,’ he adds of playing at altitude in Denver, where he played for the Rapids for four years.

Photograph by: Mark van Manen
, PNG files

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps are tied for second in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference. They are also just three points out of seventh place.

So there’s no luxury of savouring the view from near the top of the standings for the Whitecaps, who on Saturday meet the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in suburban Denver (6:30 p.m., Sportsnet 1, Team 1410).

“I think every game has to be a Cup final for us,” midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker said before the Caps headed to the Mile High City. “The race to get into the playoffs is so tight. The league has never been as tight as it is now and I think that makes it exciting for the fans and every team that is involved. This is going to go down to the wire, the last game of the season.”

If that indeed turns out to be the case, the Caps will find themselves once again playing the Rapids. The two teams, who currently share second place, meet three times in Vancouver’s final 11 regular-season games, including an away-and-home series against Colorado in the Caps’ final two games.

“It’s a big game,” Reo-Coker said. “I think this one is a six-pointer, as we call it in England. Psychologically, it can do a lot of damage to them if we get the win in their place and then we have to play them another further two times to try and establish ourselves in a playoff spot.”

“Just like we have been talking about the last few months, every game is huge,” added defender Jordan Harvey. “It’s a Western Conference battle so it’s even more important. It seems every team is within a game or two so hopefully if we get three points this will put us a little further up top.

“We have been pretty successful the last few months on the road so we are going to take that confidence into Colorado. We have been pretty successful there and I think it’s because we come out and play. if you sit back against them with the altitude and everything you get tired in about the 60th minute and then they open you up. I think it’s huge to just play our game, go at them and play with a lot of confidence.”

Confidence is something the Caps seem to have in spades these days. After earning a 1-1 draw in Portland earlier this month, Vancouver returned home and beat the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 at BC Place last weekend. The Whitecaps have won four of their last six games in large part because they have played an attacking style.

“I think our mentality has to be the same,” Reo-Coker said. “It has to be less about who we are playing against and more about us playing attacking, aggressive football. We look to start every game sharp and be the aggressive team.”

The altitude will undoubtedly be a factor Saturday night and Harvey knows all about that. He spent four years with the Rapids earlier in his career.

“I played there so I know the advantage mentally and physically it is on opponents,” he said. “I think we just need to go in and play our game. If we keep the ball, possess it, it will save our legs. Hopefully, we can just finish our opportunities because we have been doing that recently.”

That altitude could mean that Vancouver coach Martin Rennie makes more use of his bench, and with the return of centre back Andy O’Brien and striker Darren Mattocks from injury, he will have more options.

Forward Kenny Miller played and scored a goal in Scotland’s 3-2 loss in a friendly against England at Wembley Stadium in London on Wednesday night. Miller was scheduled to join the team in Denver, but Rennie will likely monitor his minutes closely. That could give Mattocks an opportunity to play. He is ready to play after making an early return from minor knee surgery.

O’Brien could also see his first action since June 8, when he injured a hamstring in a game in Seattle.

Rennie thinks the team’s better depth is one of the reasons for the Whitecaps’ improved play this season.

“I think when I first arrived there was a lot of building to be done of the team, there was a lot of adjustments that we had to make, there was a number of players that probably weren’t quite at the level that we thought,” he said. “I think the squad is getting stronger and just needs to keep improving. I think you saw when we played Portland and we were missing six or seven key players and the guys who came in did really well. The squad is much deeper than it was before. There’s more competition than there was before and that’s what we want.”

CORNER KICKS: A Vancouver win would equal franchise marks for victories in a season (11) and road wins (4). “If we could do that with almost a third of the season to go, that would be a huge achievement,” Rennie said … The Whitecaps play host to the Los Angeles Galaxy Saturday, Aug. 24, at BC Place Stadium.

‘Every game is huge,’ says Vancouver Whitecaps left back Jordan Harvey, here celebrating his goal against Chivas USA during a June 18, 2013 Major League Soccer match at BC Place Stadium. ‘I think it’s huge to just play our game, go at them and play with a lot of confidence,’ he adds of playing at altitude in Denver, where he played for the Rapids for four years.

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